AMES, Iowa -- A scientist who has linked the rise of a patriarchal
society to the development of literacy will speak at Iowa State
University on Tuesday, March 30.

Leonard Shlain, chief of laproscopic surgery at California Pacific
Medical Center and associate professor of surgery at the
University of California-San Francisco Medical School, will speak
at 8 p.m. the Sun Room of the Memorial Union. His talk is free and
open to the public.

Shlain is the author of "The Alphabet versus the Goddess: The
Conflict Between Word and Image." The book argues that when a
culture develops literacy, it shifts away from the significance of
images. This diminishes the power of women and feminine values,
giving rise to a patriarchal society. However, the rise of
computer technology has reinvigorated the power of the image,
which may lead to a more egalitarian culture, argues Shlain.

In addition to his public lecture, Shlain will discuss "The
Relationship of Art and Science" at 1 p.m. in room 411 of the
Design Building and his writing career at 3:30 p.m. in room 203 of
Ross Hall. Both events are open to the public.

Shlain's lecture is the first Benson Memorial Lecture at ISU. The
lecture series was created in honor of Donald R. Benson, a member
of the ISU English at faculty from 1958 until his retirement in
1993. In both his scholarship and teaching, Benson investigated
the parallel relationships among science, literature, and the
visual arts.